Well bailing device



July 1, 1931'.

B APPLEMAN WELL BAILING DEVICE Fi led March 7 26. 1929 Patented 7 July 7, 1931 IUN ED S A S PATENTe' "OFFICE BOYD APPLEMAN, OFBEAUM ON T, TEXAS I WELL ,BAILI G 'nEvIcE Application filed March 26, 1929'. Serial- 110.350,!)13.

deeply it may be submerged in the-liquidwithin the well 'may be avoided thereby f eliminating the danger of its being torn 19 loose from the lifting mechanism as well as the expense and loss of time that would otherwise follow in the event of its disengagement.

Another object ofmy'invention is to pro-l vide a sealing device for deep. well bailing of a width and of a character whlch 1s not only more suitably adapted to pass over gaps at the joints of the well casing which ofttimes reach a space as much as one? device against excessive hydraulic pressure that would otherwise cause it to press against the casing with undue severity.

I accomplishthe above-stated purpose by the means disclosed in the accompanying drawings and specification, in which c Figure 1 is a com osite'plan elevation view almost whollybisected longitudinally and chiefly in section, portions having been removed in order todisclose the arrangement and functions of inner Working meminside of deep or drilled wells. 2 Fig. 1'in-' dicatesthe lower end-of the tubing such as is usually employed for lowering bailing devices into and withdrawing them from the well and of its self constitutes no part of my invention.

50' A coupling 3, threaded within, serves to half inch to five-eighths inch, but to also in :ment during which i llcovers a series of a great measure balance said, sealing to its left indicates tubular.

I attach my device vto the aforesaid tubing,

4 isia tubular member of my device extending from AA to BB of Fig. 1 and carries with it collar 5 elastic sealing'ring 6 and col-- lar 7, said collars6 and 7 being locked in 55 position by sort metal pins, 5 and 7 respectively. A secondtubular member 8, extending from CC to DD is attached to memher 4 and confines within it a tubular valve type cage 9 which in the position shown comes to rest with its upper end against the lower endof member 4 said cage 9 is provided with a valve seat9 at its upper end and a valve stem guide 10 atits lower end 7 and carries with it a poppet-type valve '10 65 along with a coil spring 12 which at its apvpointed timeiaids in seating valve 10. Cage 9 which has a free sliding fit in tubular. member 8 has a limited downward move port openings 11 inme'mber 8 closing them I again on itsupwar'd movement which is dez termined and controlledby a coil spring 13 I whichhas a predetermined resistanceand is supported at its lower end by a, sleeve type member 14 which in turn is ad'ustably at-- tached to tubular member 8. leeve 141is closed at its lower end'with cap 17 and is provided with a plurality of openings 14 which serve as a strainer for preventing 80 coarse matter from entering within thedes vice. A further extension" of casing 1 is shown alongwithcouplingfl16 in order to disclose a gap between the two sections and which in general practice usually variesfro m to fi andwill be referred to in the" description of operation.

Inbailing wells of variousi 'depths and in i order to sink the'bailing device it is com mon practice to use an extension of about 60 feet of the tubing indicated by 2 in Fig;v

1 of my device, the top of which is left open" and to which an ordinary loop -type of bail is attached for receiving a rope leading to;

thel ifting mechanism thus providing an opening for the flow of liquid"directly through the bailing device and out of the a 7 top of the tubing as the bailing device is be- 1ng lowered into the well, also to per-mitof the liquid "passing downward andthrough the bailing device when not purposely intercepted by the mechanism of the bailing device itself.

For various reasons not necessary to mention here, much uncertainty frequently arises in determining just how far the bailing device is submerged below the top of the liquid in the well, and it is due to this fact that frequent overloading occurs, and often with dire results since a load. approximatin a vertical column of liquid of about 200 feet in depth is usually aimed at as a "easonably safe working load. An important factor also contributing to overloading develops from the tremendous pressure exerted upon the internal surface of the sealing device which in turn in a large measure increases its force of contact and friction as it engages with the well casing during excessive submergence. I overcome much of the latter by reducing the inner area of my sealing ring 6 Figs. 1 and 2 by providing it with a liberal number of openings 6%, which passes a large share of said pressure direct to the casing. Further relief is afforded by beveling said ring over a reasonable area at or near its top and bottom edges, this beveling also being of value in adapting the ring 6 to glide smoothly over gaps at the joints of the well casing, such as are in dicated within coupling 16 in Fig. 1, and which are subject to considerable variation. It will be noted however that the longitudinal depth of this ring must be ample to at all times overlap the gaps found at the joints between the two ends of the casing in order to at all times make a reasonably complete seal.

In Fig. 1 valve 10 is shown closed thus revealing the entire device as it would. appear when starting downward, but prior to reaching the liquid in the well and at which point if not before, valve 10 is caused to open upward thereby permitting liquid to pass upward freely through the bailing device, as well as through and out of the top of the tubing 2 used in lowering it, and in which special care to depth of submergence is quite unnecessary. When the operation is reversed valve 10 immediately closes and if the depth of submergence is such as to cause a liquid load greater than the predetermined load for which spring 13 is set, cage 9 along with valve 10 depresses spring 13, and moves downward opening ports 11, thereby permitting all excess liquid to pass outward through ports 11 and downward between the bailing device and well casing 1, thereby eliminating all danger of over loading the device.

When however the bailing device has been carried upward until the weight of liquid no longer exceeds the predeteri'nined load for which spring 13 is set, said spring returns. cage 9 to its original position, closing ports 11, and as valve 10 is also closed, all the liquid then remaining above the bailing device is earried out of the well during its upward movement. It will thus be seen that regardless of the depth of the submergence of the bailing device, the load resistance is not augmented but remains substantially the same under abnormal as well as under normal submergence, thus protecting the bailing device and connections thereto against undue strains or of the device being torn away from the lifting mechanism.

I am aware that there are a number of bailing devices in use; that are adapted to pass downward freely through the liquid in the casing which also includes valves that close during their upward movements, but I am not aware that any of them are provided with means for predetermining and controlling the maximum load or volume of liquid that may be carried upward and out of the well in a single operation regardless of the depth of the submergence of the bailing device.

I claim:

A deep well bailing device for operating in a casing, comprising a cylindrical element having collars disposed in spaced relation thereon, a packing ring surrounding said element and conlined between said collars, the said ring being provided with a series of apertures and having its upper and lower sides beveled toward said element, whereby said ring may pass over open joints in said casing and will be substantially balanced against excessive hydraulic pressure.

BOYD K. APPLEMAN. 

